


For the night to judge

by Sujuseries (Mythicalseries)



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Fluff, M/M, at least for now, rating might change later, yehyuk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythicalseries/pseuds/Sujuseries
Summary: Yesung usually enjoys the silence of the night while the rest of the group sleeps. That night, however, a sleepless Hyukjae knocks on his door.
Relationships: Kim Jongwoon | Yesung/Lee Hyukjae | Eunhyuk
Comments: 45
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one is going to be a short multi-chapter. Probably three or four chapters max but I hope you like it anyway :)

3:27 a.m. After the gig from the night before, everyone had long gone to bed already — or at least everyone but Yesung. It wasn't really unusual for him to stay up longer than everyone else. In fact, he'd even say he enjoyed the calm and quiet of the night after an adrenaline-filled day, as it helped him to relax. 

So that night, as he lay down on his hotel bed with only the light from his laptop and the low sound of the TV on the background, he was surprised to feel the vibration from his phone beside him at that time of night. 

_Hyung_ , read the pop up message on his lockscreen. _Are you still up?_

Yesung smiled curiously at the message from his dongsaeng. As both performer and director, Hyukjae would usually wind up so tired after their concerts that he would practically pass out as soon as they got to the hotel, so he was the last person Yesung expected to get a text from at three in the morning.

_Yep, he replied back. But why are you up?_

One or two minutes went by without an answer, but soon enough, he thought he heard a door closing down the hallway and only seconds later, his phone vibrated again.

_Open up. I'm outside._

Yesung put his laptop to the side and stood up slowly, seemingly taking too long since he heard Hyukjae lightly knocking on the door as he walked toward it.

As soon as he opened it, Yesung flinched a little at the bright light from the hallway, but still chuckled at the sight of a pouty Hyukjae in his pajamas, hugging himself to keep warm.

"You took too long," he whined in a whisper as he pushed past his hyung to let himself in. "I'm so cold."

"Why are you still up?" He asked him once he closed the door.

Hyukjae simply ignored the question, and as he chattered his teeth dramatically, he pulled back the covers on the other side of Yesung's bed and crawled in.

"Yah!" He scolded him with a chuckle. "Who said you could get in there?" 

Even though he really didn't mind the company, he had to admit he was a little confused since Hyukjae dropping by his room in the wee hours of the morning was really not a regular thing for him to do.

"I'm cold and I couldn't sleep," Hyukjae replied from underneath the blankets, stretching an arm out to grab the remote. "I was bored."

Yesung chuckled again, but still plopped back down on his side of the bed. "That wasn't the question," he said as he grabbed his laptop again.

"You just asked why I'm still up, what do you mean?"

 _Brat,_ thought Yesung before poking him on the side. "How did you know I was up?"

Hyukjae huffed out a laugh. "You're always up, you weirdo."

"Yah!" He scolded him with another even stronger poke.

Hyukjae whined, but remained focused on the TV screen as he switched back and forth between channels. "Were you watching anything?"

"Aren't you supposed to ask that before changing the channel?"

"It was just golf," he told him. "You don't even like golf."

Yesung sighed resignedly. "Yeah... I was watching a game earlier and then just left it on."

Hyukjae surfed through dozens of channels before stopping at a half-started action movie that Yesung was sure that he didn't even know. "What were you doing?" The younger one asked eventually, scooting closer to get a better look at his laptop screen.

"Just playing a new game I got," said Yesung, his attention back on the screen.

"Is it any good?"

"So far, yeah. I haven't played it that much yet, but the graphics are really awesome." He adjusted the screen a little so that Hyukjae could see better, but still kept on playing.

Hyukjae kept watching silently for a while, his attention going back and forth between the game and the movie on the TV, but still huffing out a small chuckle every once in a while whenever Yesung missed his target in the game. "You suck," he mumbled sleepily.

"Shut up," said Yesung, nudging him with his leg. "As if you'd do it better."

"Of course I would," Hyukjae said mid-yawn, quickly falling completely silent afterwards. It was only when Yesung felt him nuzzle even closer to him that he turned to look at him.

Hyukjae's forehead was nearly pressed against his hip, his closed eyes and slightly parted lips a clear sign that he was already off to dreamland.

Yesung didn't even bother to pause the game as he stared down at his friend. He carefully stretched out a hand to push a strand of hair off his face, making Hyukjae's steady breathing take a short pause, followed by a little sigh. It made Yesung chuckle endearingly.

He then turned to look at the time on his phone, which marked 4:53 am. He wasn't really that tired yet, but he figured he could try to sleep as well since that's what normal people usually did at that time.

So he logged off the game and closed his laptop, turning carefully to place it on the small table beside his bed without disturbing Hyukjae. He plugged in his phone and then turned back to search for the remote, taking him a few seconds to realize Hyukjae still had it in his hand.

He pondered whether to wake him up or not, but quickly decided against it. Instead, he tried to slide it off his hand slowly, managing to get it half way out before Hyukjae stirred in his sleep. Before he knew it, however, the younger had let go of the remote, holding on to two of his fingers instead.

Yesung couldn't help but smile, although it made his heart tighten inside his chest. _If he only knew..._ He thought to himself, sadly. _He wouldn't even come near me, let alone crawl into my bed in the middle of the night like this._

He grabbed the remote with his free hand, pausing for a second to look at the bittersweet image of Hyukjae's hand wrapped around his fingers. _Enjoy it while you can_ , his mind told him with a little guilt. And so, he turned off the TV and the room immediately fell into darkness.

He let the remote fall between them as he slid downwards, his head now beside Hyukjae's. As he now stared blindly at a pitch black ceiling, he allowed himself to slide his hand fully into Hyukjae's grip, hoping not to wake him up completely. When the younger only sighed, still fully asleep, Yesung let out a small relieved sigh. After all, no one had to know. At least, not until the light of the day slipped through the curtains again and the night was no longer able to hide his tiny slip in the dark.

Still, it didn't take him too long to doze off, thinking about all the whiny complaints Hyukjae would surely throw his way in the morning. _You should have woken me up_ , Yesung thought he'd say. _I didn't want to wake up here and have you be the first thing I see in the morning_. But he was wrong. 

Although he didn’t get to know, Hyukjae opened his eyes only a few moments after he finally gave in to sleep. He raised his head up a little, taking a few seconds to process where he was as he turned a little to see Yesung’s dark silhouette beside him. It was only then that he noticed the weight of a hand on top of his, and given that it could only belong to one person, it really made him wonder whether he was still dreaming. 

Yet, when he felt confident enough that it was real, Hyukjae smiled embarrassedly in the dark with no intention to free himself from the older’s grip. _Enjoy it while you can_ , the younger also told himself a little sadly, as he nuzzled even closer to Yesung's arm before closing his eyes once again. There would definitely not be any complaints from him in the morning.

In fact, neither of them would even mention it when they woke up. They figured, in the end, it could remain a secret just between them and that hotel room, with only the darkness of the night as their judge.


	2. Chapter 2

After a second consecutive night of shows, Yesung was back in the same spot he'd been in the night before. He had turned on his laptop and turned on the TV, which was still on the same channel Hyukjae had left it on the previous night. Yet, his mind wasn't really paying attention to either, his eyes now focused on his own hand over the keyboard instead.

Yesung had made the mistake of thinking he’d be able to push the feeling of Hyukjae’s hand in his to the back of his mind without a problem. He’d thought the other side of the bed wouldn’t feel cold that night and that the quiet hours of the early morning would feel just as relaxing as it ever was. But he was wrong.

He lifted his hand up and turned it over, palm up. And while he closed it and opened it back up as if he could somehow still feel the feeling of Hyukjae’s hand in his, he replayed the memory in his mind, almost like a movie or a dream, since it hadn't felt entirely real. He wondered for a moment why his rough small hand had to be a perfect fit for the grip of the younger’s more delicate, bigger one. _Yet another difference_ , he chuckled sadly, making a mental note to add it to the list of the differences that set them apart. 

He’d started that list in his mind a couple of years back, while Hyukjae was still in the army. Without even realizing it, Yesung had started counting the days to see the younger’s silly face again, and it was only when he finally noticed his own countdown that he realized that his feelings for Hyukjae might actually run deeper than he had ever dared to admit. And so he’d started that list with an almost desperate hope to convince himself that they were clearly not made for each other, but without meaning to, he’d ended up achieving entirely the opposite.

Now, years after that realization, as he sat alone in that dark hotel room, he sighed for the millionth time as the silence around him became deafening and his hand started feeling numb.

Without really looking, he ended up patting all around the bed until he found his phone somewhere in between the sheets. He tapped the screen, turning it on and immediately huffing at his own disappointment when he saw he'd gotten no new messages. _You're pathetic_ , he told himself. And yet, he still opened up his chat with Hyukjae, as if he refused to listen to the voice inside his own head.

  
  
  
  


Meanwhile, only a few doors down the hallway, Hyukjae was laying back flat on his bed with his eyes wide open despite the time. He had his left hand stretched upwards towards the ceiling, as he stared at it for a moment, the room only lit by the faint distant lights of the street. He closed it and opened it slowly, taking his time, before dropping it down with an annoyed huff.

_Stop. Just stop, man_ , he told himself as he hit his head back against the mattress with every word. _He doesn’t see you that way._

He closed his eyes tight shut, wondering for the millionth time why Yesung’s touch had to make his heart skip a beat. After all, it hadn’t always been like that. 

Funnily enough, it had also been the feeling of the older’s hand in his during the final bow of a show that had made him feel like that for the first time. It’d been years since that night. The night he’d realized his hyung’s hand fitted perfectly in his, making him look down at their joined hands for a second. He’d then looked back up at him, a smile so warm and bright on his face that it outshone the blinding stage lights shining down on them. And that had been it for him. He simply hadn’t been able to shake the feeling ever since.

As he now lay on his own hotel bed on yet another sleepless night, he wondered whether he’d feel more relaxed by having him his hyung next to him again. He honestly wanted nothing more than to walk over there and knock on his door again, since after all, he knew his hyung would never turn him away.

He extended his arm to grab his phone from the bedside table, the light from the screen blinding him a little when he tapped on it. 2:36 a.m. _There’s no way he’s asleep yet_ , he thought as his fingers opened up the conversation with his hyung almost on their own.

Yet, he only stared at it for a while before putting his phone down again without having sent anything. He sighed. _Just let this go, Hyukjae,_ he told himself. _Leave him alone._

Before he could dwell much on how pathetic he was feeling, however, he was suddenly interrupted by his phone vibrating beside him and a notification from Yesung that lit up his screen again.

_Why are you up so late again?_ It read.

Hyukjae dumbfoundedly stared at it for a second, wondering whether he had actually texted him accidentally or something. He opened up the conversation again as fast as he could in order to check, but to his surprise, there was nothing there.

Aesongie 

|| _Why are you up so late again?_

_How on earth did you know?_ ||

|| _I just saw you online_

_Stalker_ ||

_|| You can’t sleep again?_

_Yeah ||_

_I might be joining your vampire club soon ||_

_|| Wanna come over?_

_|| I was about to put on a movie_

Hyukjae smiled at his screen, letting his fingers hang over the keyboard but not daring to type anything. Yesung was just always so caring, especially with his dongsaengs. But even if Hyukjae was convinced the older didn’t know how he felt, sometimes he dared to think he may even be a little extra caring with him. Still, he always rushed to push that thought away, because the last thing he needed was to give himself false hope.

As much as he wanted to rush over there and curl up against him - because of course Yesung would let him -, he figured it could also be dangerous to let this turn into a habit. After all, he could end up fedding up his hyung. Or who knows, make an even worse slip.

And so, half proud of himself, half hating himself for it, he finally typed down his answer and hit send.

_Nah, it’s okay ||_

_I’m feeling sleepy anyway ||_

_|| You sure?_

_Yeah ||_

_I’m sure I’ll fall asleep soon ||_

_|| Okay then_

_Thanks tho ||_

_Really ||_

_|| Haha any time_

Hyukjae let out a small bittersweet smile as he stared at that last message. What wouldn't he give to actually be able to do that "any time"? He sighed.

But before he could pity himself any further, another message popped up on his screen. _Oh and by the way…_ It read, and just a few seconds later, an image followed that made Hyukjae smile for real.

The picture showed Yesung's laptop screen displaying a huge sign with his score from the game he'd shown him the night before. «Targets hit: 30/30», Yesung had circled in red.

_Show off,_ he thought, chuckling to himself as he started typing again.

_Pfff ||_

_I bet you just put it on easy mode ||_

_|| Wanna play me next time?_

_|| Or are you too scared?_

_Ha, you wish ||_

_You're so on ||_

_|| How does it feel to know you'll so lose?_

_I don't know, you tell me ||_

_|| I'm gonna smoke you_

_Please... ||_

_I know I could beat you without having even played ||_

_|| Good luck with that_

_I don't need it ||_

_But you should keep practicing ||_

_Maybe that way you'll stand a chance ||_

_|| You're lucky I can't smack you rn_

_Security, I’m being threatened~ ||_

_|| Just go to sleep already_

_I would ||_

_But you keep texting me ||_

_|| Alright, I'll stop then haha_

_|| Goodnight, stupid_

_Gnight :) ||_

_Try to get some sleep too, okay? ||_

_|| I will haha_

_|| Sleep well :)_

And so he closed his eyes with a contented sigh, blocking his phone again and dropping it beside him. If he was honest, he really didn't think he'd finish that conversation smiling to himself like an idiot after having turned down Yesung's offer to go back to his room for a movie. But it also didn't entirely surprise him. Yesung had that thing about him. That natural gift of being able to put a smile on Hyukjae's face even without meaning to. And Hyukjae was both endlessly grateful and deadly embarrassed about it.

_Stop smiling already. You're so embarrassing_ , he told himself in the dark as he covered his eyes with his forearm. 

Yet, as he still couldn't wipe the smile off his face, he let his mind jump ahead to the following week. Normally, he'd be happy to be getting a week off to rest in between their tour dates, but now the days just couldn't pass fast enough.

And so, he turned to leave his phone back on the bedside table, ready to properly get some sleep. Before closing his eyes again, however, he stared out the window for a moment, following the lights of an airplane across the night sky.

Since there were no shooting stars to wish upon, he figured airplane lights would have to do. Yet he still wondered whether it'd actually be worth wishing for impossible things.

But as he finally closed his eyes, however, that didn't stop him from wishing wholeheartedly for the clock to speed up its pace until the following week came.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you ready to lose today?" Hyukjae had asked him quite cheerfully that morning when they met up at the airport.

Yesung had smiled right away, already content that the younger had even remembered their little challenge. "You sound awfully sure of yourself."

"Always," he'd said.

And with a final turn to wink at him, the dancer had just walked away, eager to greet the others as well.

So, having put a smile on both of their faces, that small interaction had already set up their good mood for the rest of the day.

That's why, hours later and after stealing glances and half smiles for the rest of the day, Yesung was surprised to find a serious-looking Hyukjae in their dressing room after the show.

The younger already seemed to have finished changing back into his normal clothes, and was now simply sitting in front of the mirror with a distant look on his face.

"Hey…" Yesung called out for him once he was ready too. Sliding through the sea of people in the room as he tried to ignore the chaos around them, he approached him slowly until he was standing right behind Hyukjae's chair. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed. He straightened his back as he stared back at Yesung in the mirror, clearly forcing himself to put on a smile before continuing. "Yeah… I'll be fine."

"That just means you're not fine right now," he said as he softly petted the younger's hair.

"You do look kinda pale, hyung," Ryeowook chimed in from beside them as he finished getting dressed. "What's wrong?"

Donghae, half dressed, also stopped in his tracks once he overheard something was up. But after a single look at Hyukjae's face in the mirror, it was almost as if he didn't need any further explanation. "Ah… You're feeling sick, aren't you?"

Hyukjae said nothing, only glaring at him through the reflection in the mirror.

"I don't want to say I told you so…"

"Then don't," Hyukjae practically growled.

"But…" Donghe continued. "I told you not to eat so much chocolate at the airport, didn't I?"

Hyukjae just huffed out an annoyed laugh. "You don't know if that's what it was."

"Hyukie, you ate as much chocolate in one sitting as I probably eat in a year. Of course that's what it was."

Yesung chuckled, but he figured Donghae wasn't wrong. After all, he'd seen Hyukjae grab the entire jar of Lindt chocolates from the first class waiting room at the airport. He hadn't really counted how many pieces the younger had eaten, but by the time they left, Hyukjae had gathered quite a decent-sized pile of colorful wrappers, leaving the jar less than half full.

So, once everyone walked away, each back to their own thing, Yesung just shook his head incredulously.

"Aish…", said Yesung, rubbing Hyukjae’s neck to get his attention. "Why did you have to eat so many?"

"Hyung…" He whined with a pout, not liking the feeling of being scolded when he felt sick. "I was hungry. And they were free…"

At that, Yesung could only chuckle. _Sometimes you really are like a kid, huh?_ "Stupid," he said endearingly as he looked straight at Hyukjae’s eyes on the mirror. When he saw everyone around them was starting to pick up their things and head for the door, he patted the younger’s back as a sign to get him to stand up. "C'mon, we'll tell someone to get you something."

Hyukjae stood up wearing a pout on his face, which kind of reminded him of a little kid throwing a small tantrum. "Really, I'm fine..." He insisted, standing as tall as he possibly could. "I don't even need to be in my best shape to beat you later anyway."

Although he couldn’t completely shake away the worried feeling, Yesung still chuckled, deciding to play along. “You wish."

At that moment, he actually expected Hyukjae to scoff at him or give him a cheeky comeback, but he didn't. Quite the opposite, it seemed like the fact that he played along had actually relaxed him somehow. 

So, the younger just let out a little sigh, giving him a half smile before looking down at the floor and walking ahead toward the door. And although it left Yesung a little puzzled for a second, he quickly followed behind with a matching smile of his own. After all, he couldn’t lie. He really was happy to get to spend some time alone with Hyukjae again.

Still, as Ryeowook got a hold of Hyukjae a few steps ahead, rubbing his back comfortingly, Yesung suddenly caught a glimpse of one of their managers in the distance and took the chance to approach him.

“Yongsun-ssi,” he said, trotting over to him.

Yongsun seemed a little surprised, since the two of them didn’t usually talk that much, but he still smiled. “Yesung-ssi,” he greeted him, patting his back. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah…” He said. “I was just wondering if you could do me a favor.”

  
  
  


Once they got to the hotel, Yesung didn’t waste too much time before getting into the bathroom to take a shower, emerging soon enough, already in his pajama pants but without a shirt. So, as he finished up drying his hair with a towel, he walked over to the bedside table and unplugged his phone from the charger. 

But although he wasn’t really surprised to see the amount of notifications flooding his screen, he definitely didn’t expect to have a text from Hyukjae already waiting for him.

 _Hyung, can you please come?_ It said. 

Yesung just chuckled, since, knowing Hyukjae, he figured the younger must have taken a quick shower and was now laying on the bed, way too lazy to move.

 _Yeah, yeah_ , he wrote back. _I'll be there in a sec._

With that, he slid his phone into the pocket of his pants to go back to leave the towel in the bathroom, getting a black t-shirt from his bag on the way. He put it on, grabbed his laptop and the key to the room, and after sliding on a pair of the slippers the hotel offered as courtesy, he finally walked out the door.

He was immediately surprised, however, when he noticed that Hyukjae's door down the hallway was already open.

He frowned, confused as he approached it slowly, but even before he had even reached it, he could already hear Yongsun's voice coming from inside.

"You know I'm just two doors away if you need anything, okay?" He heard him say as he let himself in. "And you have to let me know if it gets worse."

"Yeah, yeah," said Hyukjae, although barely audible. "Thank you."

It was the younger's slightly weakened voice that made Yesung rush to leave his stuff on the nearest by table and immediately follow the voices toward the bathroom.

"Hyuk-ah?" He said almost as a way of announcing himself.

"In here!" Yongsun replied, giving him a half smile from the bathroom door frame as soon as he saw him.

When Yesung looked into the bathroom, he was surprised to have to lower his eyes to find Hyukjae's.

"Hey…" The younger greeted him with a smile.

Hyukjae was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall next to the toilet. 

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Is it your stomach?"

Hyukjae nodded slightly. "I feel like I could throw up at any minute so…" He signalled the spot he was sitting at. "Might as well stay here."

"Hopefully that will make you feel a little better, though," said Yongsun, pointing at the little medicine bottle beside Hyukjae on the floor.

Hyukjae pouted and just leaned further back against the wall. "Please, god…"

Yesung walked into the bathroom, and leaned down slightly to move a strand of hair, stuck to Hyukjae's forehead. "Did you take it already?" He asked, nodding toward the little bottle. Hyukjae just nodded in response. "Good." And with that, he took two steps back to sit against the opposite wall, before turning to talk to Yongsun. "I'll keep an eye on him. Don't worry."

The manager just smiled at him and nodded. "Call me if you guys need anything."

They both thanked him, staying quiet while they listened to Yongsun’s steps slowly walking away until the sound of the door closing behind him let them know they were alone.

"Do you want anything?" Yesung asked. "Water?"

Hyukjae shook his head with a half smile. "Nah, I’m okay."

"Are you sure?" He asked, tilting his head. "You did say kind of the same thing earlier…"

Hyukjae opened his mouth but immediately closed it again, as if his mind hadn’t yet decided what to say. He averted his eyes to look anywhere else but at Yesung, but as the older simply kept staring at him, he eventually seemed to realize that he wasn’t going to let him shrug this off.

“I just-” Hyukjae sighed, frustrated. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

Normally Yesung would have thought Hykjae was just saying that as an excuse for his stubbornness, but after looking at him closely for a few seconds, he figured the now creeping blush on his face would have been hard to fake. And so he chuckled, softly kicking Hyukjae's foot with his own, waiting for the dancer to look back at him again. 

"I always worry."

Hyukjae couldn't help but smile. "I know…" He said, grabbing the little bottle of medicine and shaking it slightly before putting it back down. "Yongsun hyung told me you asked him to get it. Thank you."

"Ah… It was nothing. Better safe than sorry, I guess," he said with a shrug. Still, he was quick to change the subject, since Hyukjae's warm smile somehow made him feel a little embarrassed. "You know, I was just thinking… Since you were unfit to play, does this mean I won by default?" 

Hyukjae smiled, but still kicked him lightly. "Shut up," he said. "We'll play next time. And I'll win."

Yesung just chuckled endearingly. "And hey, this may not be the game night we had planned, but at least you still get to spend time with your favorite hyung, huh?"

Hyukjae huffed out a laugh at that, leaning his head back against the wall. "Funny…" He said, with a smug smile. "I didn't know Heechul hyung was joining us."

And it was now Yesung's turn to laugh. Yet he still reached out to grab an extra toilet paper roll and threw it at Hyukjae, making the younger cackle.

"I'm also gonna tell Teukie hyung you said that, by the way."

"Nooo!" Hyukjae whined mid-laugh.

So, in between chatting and rolling with laughter, and of course after throwing the paper roll at each other at least another twenty times, neither of them really noticed the minutes passing by. And before they could tell, the minutes had turned into hours until suddenly two and half hours had come and gone since Yesung had sat on that cold floor facing Hyukjae.

In the end, after throwing that roll for the twentieth time, their laughter died down once again, and as they both sighed, they fell into a comfortable, companionable silence. Yesung stared at Hyukjae's face for a second, noticing the color had finally begun to return to his skin. 

"Are you feeling a little better?"

It was almost as if Yesung's question had made Hyukjae realize it himself, but he eventually nodded. "I think so, yeah."

"Enough to not spend the rest of your night camping in the bathroom?" He asked, making Hyukjae laugh. But without having to think about it much, the younger just nodded again. "C'mon, then," said Yesung as he stood up clumsily, only to then offer both of his hands to Hyukjae to help him stand up.

So, once they were both back on their feet, Yesung just walked back out to the bedroom, leaving Hyukjae behind to let him brush his teeth. In the meantime, he untucked the sheets on the side the younger seemed to have chosen and stacked up some pillows so that he would be able to sit up comfortably.

"Ah, hyung…" Hyukjae whined, as he walked out of the bathroom. "You don't need to do that."

But Yesung didn't answer. After all, he already knew he didn't need to do that, but he still wanted to. 

He truly enjoyed helping out whenever one of the members felt unwell, especially since some of them were too stubborn to fully take care of themselves. And Hyukjae was definitely in the top positions of that special stubbornness list.

Hyukjae just plopped down by the edge of the bed, following Yesung’s steps across the room with his gaze.

"If you get some rest, I’m sure you'll wake up feeling all better," the singer told him as he grabbed a bottle of water from the pack they usually got during tours.

So, he approached him back to give it to Hyukjae, who took it reluctantly but still took a sip. While Hyukjae drank a little more, there was suddenly an uncertain silence between them in which neither knew exactly what to do or say. Yet after a few seconds, Yesung took the bottle again and as he put the cap back on to leave it on the bedside table, he nodded to Hyukjae as a sign to get properly into bed.

"Would you..." He said, almost tentatively, once he was under the covers. "Stay a little longer?"

Yesung seemed to hesitate for an instant, but he soon nodded softly. “Sure…”

So, he took a quick glance at the space beside Hyukjae on the bed, and since there was only a single pillow, he ended up walking over toward the couch to throw a couple of extra cushions toward the bed. The younger caught them cheerfully, and despite having lots of space, he placed them carefully right next to him.

That didn’t go unnoticed to Yesung who smiled at him while he walked over to the other side of the bed to leave his slippers. So, under the younger’s very focused gaze, he climbed on the bed, arranging the cushions a little more before finally plopping down in his place.

Before leaning back all the way, however, he pulled Hyukjae’s pillow a little closer toward him, making him lift his back up a bit. And so in that moment, he casually slipped his arm behind his back, stopping to tell him with a look to scoot even closer.

"Ah, really?" He chuckled embarrassedly, but still complied, scooting right into the older one's embrace.

Yesung chuckled. "You can move away whenever you want, but I don't see you complaining."

Hyukjae poked him hard on the side, making Yesung wriggle, but he quickly pulled his shirt to bring him as close as he could. 

All of a sudden, however, Yesung held his breath for a moment when felt Hyukjae’s arm slide across his torso. He let the air out little by little, telling himself to relax, while Hyukjae finished getting comfortable in his arms, placing his head right against his chest.

Once they both settled, the room fell into perfect silence, no movement from either of them except for the rise and fall of their chests as they breathed. It was only a few moments later that Yesung finally dared to move the arm he had around Hyukjae, thinking twice about whether combing his hair would cross any type of line, but eventually decided to do it anyway.

"Hyung…" Hyukjae's soft voice said, finally cutting through the silence. Yesung only hummed as a response, waiting for him to continue, but it took the younger a few seconds to speak again. And so, as Hyukjae moved to hide his face even more against his chest, Yesung suddenly felt the younger's grip tightening around his torso, before hearing two muffled little words. "Thank you."

Yesung sighed out a chuckle, almost praying that Hyukjae wasn't able to hear the way his heart had just fluttered inside his chest.

"Any time."

Hyukjae chuckled. "You know… you really need to stop saying that."

Yesung just frowned, a little confused since he could have sworn Hyukjae's words had sounded a little sad. "Why is that?" He asked.

"Because I may start to believe you actually mean it."

And so, just those words were enough to paralyze Yesung and send his mind into a spiral. _Does he mean…?_ He didn't even dare to complete his own thought. _There's no way. I'm just projecting,_ he told himself. Yet, it was only when he felt Hyukjae slowly start to withdraw his arm from over his torso, that Yesung finally realized he had fully frozen over in his spot, even holding his breath. And so he just followed his first instinct. 

"I do," he said in a rush, as he held onto Hyukjae's wrist to keep his arm in place. 

So it was now the younger's turn to freeze instead. After a few silently tense seconds, just as Yesung let out the air he'd been holding in, Hyukjae slowly lifted up his head, turning just enough to meet his gaze.

Yesung had definitely never seen that look in Hyukjae's eyes before. They were hesitant, yet hopeful, and there was a trembling intensity behind them that surely must have matched his own. "I really do," he reassured him, now in a whisper.

After a second or two, a little smile started to appear on the younger's face, and Yesung held his breath when Hyukjae finally spoke again. "Then…" He said slowly, now with a tiny new spark in his eyes. "Maybe I should overdose on chocolate more often."

Yesung couldn't hold back his laughter, as he let a sudden wave of relief and hopeful joy wash over him. "Please don't," he said with the widest smile. And before he could even think about it, he leaned forward slightly to press a long kiss to Hyukjae's forehead. When he leaned back again, he got to see a warm smile appearing on the younger's face as he opened his eyes. "Just try to get some rest now, okay?"

Hyukjae hummed in agreement, lowering his eyes to look at Yesung's lips for a second before letting out a very slow, long sigh. Yesung would even have to admit that he was a little disappointed when Hyukjae just turned his head again, to cuddle back against his chest. And yet, he still felt it was all surreal.

"And you?" Hyukjae asked eventually, once he was comfortable again.

"What about me?"

"I know it's still probably a little early for you, Mr. Dracula," he said, making Yesung chuckle, "but you should rest too."

"Is this your way of kicking me out?"

Hyukjae huffed out a laugh, tightening his grip on Yesung's torso. "Does it look like I'm kicking you out?"

Although he couldn't see it, Yesung smiled at the pouty tone of his voice. "I was just checking…"

Hyukjae sighed. "Well, you better stay now ‘cause honestly I'm very comfy."

Yesung laughed wholeheartedly, but still nodded. "And we wouldn't want you to not be comfy…"

"Exactly."

With that, Yesung simply slid himself down a little to get more comfortable. Hyukjae made a little audible whiny sound, but didn’t take too long to resettle himself in the same place. _Don't worry, Hyukjae-ah,_ he thought with a smile as he started to pet his hair again. _I'm not going anywhere._

Just like that, he reached out his free arm toward the switch that turned off every light in the room. As so, when everything fell into darkness, Yesung just stayed up staring at the ceiling, focusing on the one single ray of light from the outside that slipped through the small opening in between the curtains. 

Hyukjae’s breathing didn’t take long to become softer and more consistent so, even without looking, he already knew the younger had already given in to exhaustion.

Yesung just smiled, letting his eyes drop closed as well. So, as his breathing started slowly matching the same quiet rhythm of Hyukjae’s, Yesung realized he didn’t remember the last time he’d felt like that. Simultaneously so excited and at peace. 

And so as the clock ticked by and as the line between dreams and reality started to fade, Yesung could only focus on Hyukjae’s warmth against him. Whether that was real or not, he didn’t know, but in the end he decided he really didn’t care. After all, he’d find out in the morning anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated :)
> 
> Find me on Twitter as [@sujuseries](https://twitter.com/sujuseries) and [@mari_ficseries](https://twitter.com/mari_ficseries), or on CuriousCat [here](https://curiouscat.me/sujuseries) if you're shy.


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